Film reel



I May 5, 1942.

H. R. DARLING FILM REEL Filed June 20, 1941 FIG.|.

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7 y 1 wfi I} 14 T ORNEYS HARRY R. DARLING INVENTOR Patented May 5, 1942FILM REEL Harry R. Darling, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Eastman KodakCompany, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application June20, 1941, Serial No. 398,945

Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in reels, and moreparticularly to reels of the type used with motion picture films.

One object of the invention is the provision of a film reel which isformed entirely from two substantially similarly shaped metal stampings,which, when assembled, are rigidly and permanently connected to form asturdy, true-running reel.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a reel the hubportions of which are formed from side plates so as to eliminate anylocseness or relative play therebetween.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a reel inwhich the hub sections are formed from the material of the side plates,and engaged in abutting relation between the side plates and areprovided with contacting depending tabs which are electrically welded toretain the reel in assembled relation.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision'of a reel which issimple and rugged in construction, comprises only two parts, isrelatively inexpensive to manufacture, and is sturdy rigid and truerunning.

To these and other ends, the invention resides in certain improvementsand combinations of parts. all as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the endof the specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a plan view of a film reel constructed in accordance with thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation view of the reel illustrated in Fig. 1,showing the relation of the various parts: and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sect onal view taken through a portion of thereel illustrated in Fig. 2 and substantially on line 3-3 thereof, but ona larger scale than the latter, showing the relation of the side platesand the hub-forming members stamped out therefrom, and the dependingtabs by which the two reel members are rigidly and permanently connectedin assembled relation.

Similar reference numerals throughout the various views indicate thesame parts.

The film reel of the present invention comprises two substantiallyidentical circular side plates I 0 and II which are stamped or otherwiseformed from a strip of sheet metal. Each side plate is formed with aspindle receiving opening I2 adapted to align with a similar opening inthe other plate when the parts are assembled, as will be laterdescribed. The edges or portions I3 surrounding the openings I2 areadapted to engage a spindle, not shown, to support the reel thereon, aswill be readily apparent to those in the art. A plurality ofcircumferentially arranged spaced hub sections I4, of the shape bestshown in Fig. 2,are cut out of each side plate along the straight linesI5 and the curved lines I6, and are connected to the side plates alongthe sections II. These hub sections I4 are then bent along the sectionsH to extend at right angles to the inner faces I8 of the plates III andII and to engage, in abutting relation at I9, the sections I4 formedfrom the opposite side plate, as is best shown in Fig. 3. These abuttinghub sections I4 thus meet substantially midway between the side platesI0 and I I, and thus serve to not only space the latter, but to providea hollow circular hub on which the film strip may be wound, as will beapparent from an inspection of the drawing.

The free or inner end of each section I4 is bent along the line 2| toprovide an inwardly extending radial tongue 22 which is adapted toengage and overly a similar tongue 22 formed from the oppositecomplementary hub section I4, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3. Bysecuring or clamping these engaging tongues 22 together, the two sideplates with their integral hub sections may be rigidly and permanentlyconnected in assembled relation to form a complete reel. Any suitablemeans may be utilized to thus clamp the tongue 22 in assembled relation.It has been found, however, that by merely applying the electrodes of anelectric welding device against the two tongues 22, the latter may bespot welded, as shownat 23, Fig. 3. Such spot weldin forms, in effect, arivet connecting each pair of tongues 22 to thus retain the reel partsin as sembled relation. This spot welding may, therefore, be definedbroadly as a means for connecting the tongues 22 to permanently retainthe reel parts in assembled relation. The hub formed, as abovedescribed, is spaced radially from the opening I2 and the spindleengaging portions I3, and is connected thereto by a series of radialmembers or spokes 24 formed by the cutting out of the hub section II, aswill be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 2.

A series of flexible spring clips or fingers 26 are cut out of the sideplates I0 and II along the lines 21, see Fig. 2. Each of these clips isconnected to the side plates Ill and II at 29 and extends toward thefilm hub and into an aperture 30 formed in one of the hub sections IIadjacent the connecting portion H, see Figs. 1

and 3. The free end ii of each clip 26 is arranged to engage the inneredge 32 of the aperture 30 to limit the inward or axial movement of theclips, as will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 3. The arrangementis such that when the film strip is placed between the plates i and IIand on the assembled hub sections I 4, the various resilient fingers 26will yieldably engage the marginal edges of the film strip to firmlysecure the leading end of the strip to the reel hub, as will beapparent.

Bymeans of the above-described construction, the entire film reel may bemade entirely of the material of the two side plates, except of course,the welding 23, thus not only materially reduc- 'ing the cost ofmanufacturing and assembling,

but also entirely eliminating the use of additional parts for retainingthe reel in assembled relation. Furthermore, as the hub sections areformed integral with and from the side plates themselves, any tendencyto loosen between the hub and side plates is entirely eliminated. Theabove advantages are not, however, secured at the sacrifice of otherdesirable features required in a reel of this type. The construction ofthe present invention provides a reel which is sturdy and rigid,true-running and long-lived, yet is simple in construction andinexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to beunderstood that the inventive idea may be carried out in a number ofways. This application is therefore not to be limited to the precisedetails described, but is i tended to cover all variations andmodifications thereof falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A film reel comprising a pair of substantially identical side platesformed with central aligned openings adapted to receive a spindle; andportions surrounding said openings and integral with said side platesfor engaging said spindle,- hub forming sections stamped from each ofsaid plates radially of said portions and extending inwardly from theinner surface of the plate to abut aligned sections of the other late toform a hollow hub and to space said plates, a tab formed at the innerend of certain of said sections and extending radially inwardlytherefrom to overlie a tab formed on an opposite section, and meansindependent of said portions for individually connecting the overlyingtabs to retain the reel in assembled relation.

2. A film reel comprising a pair of substantially identical side platesformed with central aligned spindle receiving openings, hub formingsections stamped from each of said plates radially of said opening andextending inwardly from the inner surface of the plate to abut alignedsections of the other plate to form a hollow hub. said plate havingradially extending members between said hub and said openings, a tabformed at the inner end of certain of said sections and extendingradially inwardly therefrom to overlie a. similar tab formed on theopposite section, and means for permanently connecting said tabs toretain said reel in assembled relat on.

3. A film reel comprising a pair of substantially identical side platesformed with central aligned spindle receiving openings, a plurality ofcircumferentially spaced tongue members stamped from each of said platesand bent inwardly from the inner face thereof to abut identical tonguesformed from the other plate to provide a hollow hub and to space saidplates, the

portions of said plates between the sections from which the tongues arestamped out providing radial spokes which are positioned between theopenings and the hub, terminal tabs formed on the free ends of each ofsaid tongues and bent radially to overlie identical tabs formed on theopposite abutting tongues, and means for connecting said tabs to retainsaid reel in assembled relation.

4. A film reel comprising a pair of substantially identical side platesformed with central aligned spindle receiving openings, a plurality ofcircumferentially spaced tongue members stamped from each of said platesand bent inwardly from the inner face thereof to abut identical tonguesformed from the other plate to provide a hollow hub and to space saidplates, the portions of said platesbetween the sections from which thetongues are stamped out providing radial spokes which are positionedbetween the openings and'the hub, and terminal tabs formed on the freeends of each of said tongues and bent inwardly radially therefrom toengage and overlie a similar tab formed from the opposite tongue, saidoverlying tongues being connected by spot welding to retain the reel-inassembledrelation.

5. A film reel comprising a pair of substantially identical side platesformed with central aligned openings adapted to engage a spindle tosupport the reel thereon, a plurality of tongue members stamped out ofeach plate and bent at an angle thereto and extending toward the otherplate to abut substantially midway between said plates, similar tonguesbent out from the other plate, securing members formed on the ends ofeach said tongue members and bent down at the point of "abutment of saidtongue members to overlie identical securing members formed on theopposite tongue members, and separate and independent means forindividually and permanently connecting each pair of overlying securingmembers to retain the reel in assembled relation.

- HARRY R. DARLING.

